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The Bluffton Township Fire District is training with new air packs that will increase firefighters' breathing time from 30 to 45 minutes when they enter burning buildings, respond to vehicle fires or face carbon-monoxide, chemical or biological hazards.
"They hold a lot more air, which allows us to do more work without having to come out," said Paul Boulware, assistant chief of operations.
The 48 new packs will enable all 90 fire district firefighters to have access to one during their rotating shifts. They were purchased with a $211,140 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The district kicked in about $23,500 for the packs, which cost about $5,000 each, said Deputy Chief John Thompson.
The district has applied for federal grants in the past, but this is the first one that has been approved, Thompson said.
"It was like Christmas in there when we pulled them out," he said of the firefighters' reaction to the new equipment.
The crews should be ready to use the new equipment by the end of this week , Boulware said.
"They're anxious to get them on the trucks, but we're taking it slow and getting everyone trained," he said.
Firefighters also will receive fitted face masks to deliver the air.
Each pack has a 15-year service life, Boulware said. They will replace equipment purchased in the late 1990s that have air compressors nearing the end of their lifespan. That equipment probably will be offered on a government auction website to any buyer who wants to replace the compressors, Boulware said.
The new packs come with safety features, like a "pack tracker" -- a locator device that transmits radio waves when a firefighter is lost or injured and cannot respond.
Each air pack also features a buddy-breathing apparatus, allowing a firefighter to share air with another crew member.
The packs are strapped over a firefighter's clothing. They weigh a few pounds more than the old units, bringing the total weight for all gear a firefighter carries to about 100 pounds, Boulware said.
That's a weight firefighters are happy to shoulder.
"We've had some close calls with guys being short on air, but nothing life-threatening," Boulware said. "The problem is, when you have a house fire, conditions change so rapidly, you may not be able to leave the same way as you came in."
And that's when an extra 15 minutes can mean all the time in the world.
